Thread by @AllergyKidsDoc

Whether it’s vaccines or fads such as celery juice to treat chronic inflammation (spoiler - it doesn’t)...social media is filled with opinions of people who have done their own ‘research’.

This thread discusses some problems with that statement ⬇️ #TuesdayThoughts

Many people use the word ‘research’ but I do not think it means what you think it means.

Research begins w a question, followed by a thorough & careful view of ALL evidence to support or refute.

Many mistakenly begin with a suspected conclusion, then work backwards.

Proper research requires:
1. Time to search ALL relevant references
2. Understanding of what constitutes evidence AND how strength of evidence varies
3. Understanding of all the biases that influence research...within ourselves AND the authors/publication source

The starting question should be specific & open ended “Do children with peanut allergy have less reactions in nut free schools?”

This is very different than starting with “I want my child’s school to be nut free...what information is out there?”

When people start their research with a conclusion or predetermined opinion, normal cognitive biases influence their conclusions and lead them to:
-Ignore refuting evidence
-Cherry pick bad data/info to support their beliefs, i.e. mouse studies
-Not recognize biases in others

Using common search engines for conducting one’s own research can be misleading:
- Algorithms influence order & inflate importance
- Non evidence based sites & blogs appear that may influence findings
- Peer reviewed publications & proven research studies often will not appear

Once resources are identified, the information must be critically evaluated for:
- Quality
- Bias/conflict of interest from author
- Source/references
- Strength (Meta analysis 👍, anecdotes 👎)

Then...all resources should be weighed as either:
- Irrelevant to initial question
- Supportive
- Not supportive

The strength of evidence is WAY more important than number of resources - One peer reviewed meta analysis or randomized trial >>>>>>>50 non evidence based blog posts

Lastly, to reach a valid unbiased conclusion, the researcher needs to identify their own biases and try to reconcile, then critically evaluate the entire scope of evidence they found during a comprehensive review of vetted resources.

More info: thelogicofscience.com/2016/01/12/the…

Yes, anyone can conduct their own research, which is essentially the use of the scientific method (Go #Science!)

But PROPERLY conducting research requires way more than a 30 minute Google search.

I started med school 21 yrs ago & am continually practicing & learning

This is a complicated and nuanced discussion and I’ve merely introduced some concepts to consider.

Hopefully this thread offers a glimpse into why it’s a bit more complicated than simply stating:

“I’ve done my own research” #TuesdayMotivation